


Mommy Issues

by neko_kirin3104



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Humor, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-10
Updated: 2013-10-10
Packaged: 2017-12-29 01:36:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neko_kirin3104/pseuds/neko_kirin3104
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unexpected guest comes to Satoshi-kun and Sho-chan’s love nest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mommy Issues

 

Sho Sakurai did not believe in luck. As far as he was concerned, _luck_ was overrated.

Once in a while, though, he couldn’t help but wish for a miracle. A little break from life’s vicious twists and turns—

“So, what brought you here, Sakurai-kun?”

The woman sitting on the arm chair beside his couch wasn’t in any way intimidating, spoke in a mild and relaxed manner that did not sound patronizing at all, and had a gentle face that did not differ much from the one he had been waking up to every morning for the past couple of years.

“J-Just dropping by, Ohno-san. I was in the neighborhood _..._ So, I thought I’d drop by... I was around here, so... _yeah_.”

Nevertheless, Sho’s insides were in a panic. His brain was a mush, his vocabulary totally failing. His heart was on overdrive, pumping out too much heat to his skin. His lungs were deflating, depriving him of air. His stomach churned on nothing but gas since he had purposefully missed lunch in hopes of having it with his lover. And his bladder brimmed with anxiety, making it almost painful to sit still.

“Did you know I had to stalk my son all the way back here just to know where he lives?”

Sho almost gulped. The woman was probably trying to make light conversation with the way she chuckled at her son’s mumbled protest. But her teasing words hit something in Sho’s nerves that made him want to double over in distress.

It was hard to tell whether Satoshi Ohno was in the same kind of panic as he was by just looking at the hunched form beside him. For all Sho knew, his lover—who had just come back from visiting his family—could already be half-asleep with eyes open and had just been slinging half-assed replies honed by routine and practice.

“That’s mean, Ohno-kun!” he managed to say, cringing at the sound of his own strained giggles.

“He never even told us he’s already moved! This boy, seriously!” Mrs. Ohno crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back on the arm chair with a _‘tsk’_. She was so close to Sho sitting on the matching couch that the draft from her breath was sending goosebumps all over the poor man’s skin.

“Ohno-kun, seriously!” Sho was making colossal efforts to keep his wits together, even if it meant piping up responses like a parrot.

“Did you know he’s been living with his _girlfriend_ all this time and he has not even introduced the woman to us?”

The rattled idol all but choked on his tongue, quickly covering the gagging sound with a grunt of feigned annoyance. “Ohno-kun, that’s rude!”

“I knew he had someone the moment he told me not to buy him underwear anymore.”

The words rang in Sho’s ears, almost sending him into a faint. His skin was already cold and clammy from the tension fizzling under his skin. A chuckle tried to escape his throat, but sounded more like a croak than anything else. He turned his gaze to the man beside him—mostly to keep Mrs. Ohno from seeing the blush he knew was creeping up on his face—and tried not to squeak as he called out his name, a poorly covered up plea for help. “Ohno-kun?”

“I’m old enough to buy my own stuffs, Mom.”

Satoshi Ohno’s stoicism was usually infectious and hardly ever failed to calm Sho down. At any other time, the brief look his lover gave him before the man looked at his mother would’ve been enough to reassure him everything was going to be all right—

“And my partner’s taking good care of me,” Satoshi added, with a tinge of pride in his voice that made Sho’s heart flutter despite himself.

Satoshi sure had gone a long way from a full-grown man being pampered by his mom to a full-fledged lover being, well, pampered by Sho.

There was absolutely no competition here, of course. But Sho still couldn’t help smiling at how reassuring it felt to have Satoshi say those words out loud—

“I wouldn’t call those string bikinis in your drawer _your stuffs_ , Satoshi.”

—only to have his short-lived delight crash all the way to the balls of his feet, his mind reeling from the fact that it was his fault that those string bikinis _exist_ in the first place.

“I’ve seen the clothes in your dresser, too. How many identical grey shirts do you need to survive? And those horrendous fake jeans ain’t fooling anyone, Satoshi.”

Sho felt like slumping on the floor at the woman’s harsh words, made more cutting by the unfalteringly smooth voice used to say them. He could not blame the clueless Mrs. Ohno, of course, but it still hurt to have his fashion choices, no matter how dull and pathetic they were, slammed and questioned like this.

“I’m sorry, Sakurai-kun. Did you have anything to talk about with my son? I must be taking up your time—”

“Ah, no, no, Ohno-san! It’s okay,” he sputtered, waving his hands in front of him and grinning like his temper wasn’t just about to burst through his chest. The few moments he had to look at the woman’s face, her eyes that were just as quietly calming as her son’s, only made him feel guiltier than pacified.

“Have you seen Satoshi’s girl?”

Sho had never felt _this_ intimidated, every part of him wishing he could just burst into bubbles and disappear. “Ah... I guess... You can say that, _I guess_.” He bowed his head and tried not to fiddle with his fingers.

“How is she?”

“Mom...” There was a hint of agitation in Satoshi’s voice now.

“I’m curious. You won’t let us meet her and I’m wondering why. Is something wrong with her?”

_Yeah, something’s very wrong with her,_ were the words that mocked Sho as he tried not to snort. _‘_ Her’ _being a man, for one thing._

“Because I don’t really mind that she can’t cook. I’ve tasted that _thing_ in your fridge...” Mrs. Ohno met Sho’s gaze at the same time that the slighted man raised his head. The grimacing woman put her hand beside her lips conspiratorially and whispered, “ _Terrible._ ”

Sho felt the biting chill prickling his skin, his lips slacking into an open-mouthed gasp that he was only barely able to turn into an amused snicker.

“Mom...” Satoshi’s agitation was mounting.

“I only wish she’ll clean up a little, you know. Have you seen my son’s room, Sakurai-kun? I saw the pair of boxers hanging from the nightlight and almost fainted!”

“Mom!”

Sho barely felt the couch tremble from both his lover’s voice and the older man’s body bolting from relaxation to unrest, because his mind was already buzzing with the sinking truth that had previously been hinted, but had only now gained enough punch to knock his senses over—

Satoshi’s mom had been to _their_ room??!!

In what state had he left that room this morning? He hardly remembered since he didn’t pay much attention to that part of the house whenever Satoshi went home to his family for a couple of days and he was left here to warm their bed all on his own—

“And the amount of used condoms in the trash! Seriously! You kids today hump like there’s no tomorrow!”

Sho turned his face away when he felt another blush scorching his cheeks, radiating all the way to his ears. Satoshi met his imploring gaze with an accusing frown that silently said, _You didn’t take the trash out again._

He pouted, screaming helplessly in his mind, _What was your mom doing, snooping around in our trash?!_

“I’m telling your father.”

_“_ Oh god! Please, don’t!” Sho mindlessly blurted out, his body jolting from the shock of that straight hit. It took him a moment to realize he had been staring straight into Mrs. Ohno’s narrowed eyes, her gaze sharp and glinting with both displeasure and an _‘I-knew-it’_ threat.

But it could all be just an illusion born out of his own guilt feelings. Or so he hoped as he made a final bid to cover up.

“I mean, won’t it be better if Satoshi himself, you know, said it... told his father... _himself_. It’s better like that, right? If he said it himself... _right_?” Sho felt trapped. His better judgment was telling him this was utterly hopeless. He gave up and turned to his lover for help. “Uh, _Ohno-kun_?”

“Mom, it’s getting late. Don’t you still need to prepare dinner for Dad?” Satoshi made a move to reach out for the phone. “I’ll come by to visit again as soon as I get a break.”

Mrs. Ohno sighed loudly, slapped her hands resignedly to her lap and said, “All right.” She stood up and smoothed out her floral dress, simple and comfortable and quite flattering for her age. “You’re leaving too, right _Sho-kun_?”

“Uh...” Sho turned to Satoshi, who was already talking on the phone, asking for a cab for his mother. He turned to Mrs. Ohno and was practically compelled into saying, “Yes” by her lovely, warm smile.

“Walk with me, then,” she said with a slight tilt of her head, before gesturing to her son to come and give her a hug.

Satoshi shrugged and shuffled lazily into the embrace. But the small smile at the corner of his lover’s lips did not escape Sho, and the sight of mother and son hugging in front of him made his heart sigh pleasantly. He was suddenly yearning to see and be with his own mom.

He and Satoshi only got to exchange meager nods before he was tailing behind his lover’s mother, still holding on to the tiniest hope that the adorable woman had remained oblivious to his relationship with her son despite his nasty slip up a few minutes ago.

Then again, who was he kidding—?

They were putting on their shoes in the genkan when Mrs. Ohno turned to him and frowned. “Aren’t you forgetting your cap, dear? I don’t wanna get caught in a rumor with an idol. Especially not with my own son’s lover.”

Sho’s heart jumped to his throat, choking him into a coughing fit. He turned to his lover standing in the middle of the living room with his mouth hanging open in shock, like he didn’t really see this coming. Satoshi began approaching them, his intention to join them outside clear in his eyes.

“Stay here, Satoshi. I’m sure your _boyfriend_ can find his own way back home.” Mrs. Ohno didn’t have to raise her voice, didn’t even have to look up from putting on her shoes to stress her authority.

Satoshi resigned himself to handing Sho his cap, offering a reassuring smile that only served to heighten the younger man’s alarm.

They walked down the hall in silence and were already halfway through the last flight of stairs when Sho finally calmed himself enough to mumble, “Ohno-san... _Gomen..._ ”

“Hm, for what?” Mrs. Ohno sounded so gentle, Sho almost felt like punching himself for giving this woman cause for stress.

“For... _everything._ ”

“Did I tell you to apologize for anything, Sho-kun?” Mrs. Ohno turned to him and smiled good-naturedly—or at least, he hoped.

His heart also began to relax a little bit when he realized for the first time that his lover’s mother was already calling him by his name.

“Those fake jeans are cool, by the way. I was just playing with you. The food was really terrible, though.”

That still stung, but Sho chuckled anyway as he opened the main door for Mrs. Ohno.

Feeling a little bolder after they stepped out of the apartment complex and began strolling down the path toward the main road, Sho took a deep breath and asked the question that had been hanging in his head from the moment they left Satoshi in their unit. “H-How did you know...?”

Mrs. Ohno’s mild laughter eased his heart a little bit more. Breathing didn’t feel as hard as it used to just several minutes ago.

”Those late night calls to our home phone when you were younger, and sometimes _accidentally_ reading your messages on my son’s phone when he was still living with us—”

“ _Uso_?!” Sho gushed, his lips freezing around the word. His mind desperately tried to remember the kind of messages he had been sending Satoshi back then, the heat from his face already fizzling through his ears.

“I always knew you two were headed somewhere. I guess, I just needed to confirm it for myself.”

Sho looked at Mrs. Ohno’s face intently, the amused smile on the woman’s lips almost convincing him he had nothing to worry about. Never really had anything to worry about—

“And I’ve seen your place. There’s two of everything and only men’s clothes in the dresser. Well, aside from that maid costume in the hamper.”

Sho’s gasp sounded too loud, too high-pitched for his liking.

“Seriously, the things you boys do!”

He could practically feel the sweat pooling under his skin, making him shudder at the errant breeze that suddenly blew their way, as though mocking him in his distress.

“And don’t think I don’t know about your secret drawers!”

Sho wished he could just melt into a puddle and slip into a grate somewhere. He could only hope this woman and his equally snoopy and teasing mom would never have to cross paths, _ever._

Then again, who was he kidding, really?

“Are you... okay with this? With _us_?”

“Will it make any difference if I said I wasn’t?” Mrs. Ohno regarded him with a challenging frown as they stood on the sidewalk waiting for her cab. “Will you stay away from my son if I tell you so?”

Sho didn’t even have to think about it. “No. I guess not.” He met Mrs. Ohno’s gaze with a proud, determined smirk.

“I know how stubborn you two can be.” Mrs. Ohno smiled that lovely reassuring smile of hers that could calm the most erratic of hearts, not unlike the way her son always did so for Sho. “And you can relax. I’m not telling on you. But you better think of a way to tell Satoshi’s father, _and_ your own parents soon.”

“We’re working on it. I promise.” They had, of course, talked about it, but had just not been having enough time to both muster up the courage and finally act on their plans of coming out to their families.

“I don’t want my son getting into trouble with your family.” Mrs. Ohno sounded genuinely concerned, almost inciting Sho to reach out and hold the woman’s hand. He didn’t, but he did make good use of the brief moment his lover’s mother looked into his eyes to reassure her with a firm nod and an earnest smile that he was taking full responsibility for her son.

“He won’t. I promise.”

The cab arrived at that moment, and Mrs. Ohno herself reached out to squeeze Sho’s hand. “You better step up, Sho-kun,” she said as Sho opened the cab door for her with his free hand.  “I’m trusting you with my Satoshi’s well-being now.”

“ _H-Hai..._ ”

Mrs. Ohno’s words had once again made Sho’s heart beat faster, but this time it felt good. He was positively swelling with pride as he guided his lover’s mother into the cab's backseat. It suddenly struck him how they had easily made quite a connection in the few minutes they had chatted about the man they both loved dearly in all the world.

Maybe this day wasn’t so _unlucky_ after all.

Mrs. Ohno thanked him and reminded him again to take good care of Satoshi. He bowed in both respect and quiet pledge, smiling to the bottom of his heart and deciding right then and there that he would love this woman for the rest of his life.

“And buy my son proper underwear, for god’s sake!”

The exasperated words rang in Sho’s head louder than the cab door closing. He stared after the vehicle with his mouth wide-opened, his head shaking in both amusement and disbelief.

Yes, he would _definitely_ love Satoshi’s mom _forever_.

#

**Author's Note:**

> written for [je-prompts](http://je-prompts.livejournal.com) for the prompt _gene_


End file.
